Jamaican proverbs and sayings (part 2)

Posted on September 8, 2014

People of different nationalities have developed certain expressions which they use to comment on situations, give advice or warning, without using the day-to-day speech of ordinary conversations. These expressions are of two types – Proverbs, which give advice and/or warning and Idioms. An idiom is an unusual way of stating an idea.

A few of these selected from those popularly used in Jamaica are listed below.

“Puss nuh business inna dawg fight „

English Translation:
Cat doesn’t have any business in a dog’s fight

Definition
Keep out of what does not concern you

“Stay pon cow back and cuss cow „

English Translation:
On a cow’s back yet cursing the cow

Definition
To be ungrateful to those who have helped you.

“Nuh trouble trouble, til trouble trouble yuh „

English Translation:
Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you

Definition
Do not concern yourself with what is not your affair

“If yuh sleep wid dawg, yuh ketch im flea „

English Translation:
If you sleep with a dog, you will catch his fleas

Definition
If you mix with the wrong crowd, you will learn their bad habits.

“Mi yeye a mi market yuh a mi coco basket „

English Translation:
My eyes are my market, you are my cocoa basket

Definition
I will look at you as I please

“Howdy and tenky bruk no square„

Definition
It does no harm to show good manners to people

“Wata more than flour „

English Translation:
There is more water than flour

Definition
It's a time of great difficulty

“Nuh ebery ting dat ave sugar sweet„

English Translation:
Everything that has sugar in it is not necessary sweet